10 Day Kenya Birds and Big Game Safari

Day 1: Nairobi National Park

We will start birding on our first full day in Africa by traveling to the nearby Nairobi National Park, conveniently located less than 10km from the city and though only 117km² has one of the richest avian diversity with a record of over 515 species. This is the place to find the newly almost-described Nairobi Pipit.

Overnight at Wildebeeste Eco-Camp, Nairobi

Day 2: Nairobi- Gatamaiyu Forest- Lake Nakuru National Park

Though only 100km from Nairobi it will take us a whole day to get to Lake Niavasha since well be passing via Manguo Ponds where we expect a few but a variety of waterbirds we hope (if lucky to see the Maccoa Duck among Little grebe, Cattle & Great Egrets, Grey & Black-headed Heron, Yellow-billed Stork, African Spoonbill, Yellow-billed Duck, Red-billed & Hottentot Teals, Northern Shoveler, Red-knobbed Coot, African Jacana, Ringed & Three-banded Plovers, Little Stint, Ruff, Marsh & Wood Sandpiper, Common Greenshank.

We’ll head on to the highland forest part of the Kikuyu Escarpment which once stretched to the Aberdare Ranges. Some of the birds seen include; African Goshawk, Mountain Buzzard, Lemon, Tambourine, Red-eyed Dove, Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater, Yellow-rumped, Mustached-green Tinkerbird, Eastern Honeybird, Lesser Honeyguide, Fine-banded, Grey Woodpecker, Slender-billed, Mountain, Yellow-whiskered, Cabanis’s Greenbul, African Hill Babbler, White-stared Robin, Cape, Rüppell’s Robin Chat, Evergreen Forest, Brown Woodland Warbler, Hunter Cisticola, Black-throated, Black-collared, Chestnut-throated Apalis etc

As we head for Naivasha we’ll make a short visit to the Kinangop Plateau with the hope to see our first Kenyan endemic Sharpe’s Longclaw immediately leaving for Lake Nakuru National Park.

Overnight at Lake Nakuru Lodge.

Day 3: Lake Nakuru National Park , Lake Baringo Conservation Area

Leave early in the morning for Lake Nakuru National Park, which has been referred to as the ‘the greatest ornithological spectacle in the world’. Sometimes flamingos exceeding 1.5 million individuals. The alkaline habitat supports thousands of resident and migratory birds. Some of the common birds includes; Little Grebe, Great White Pelican, Black-winged Stilt, Gull-billed, Whiskered Tern, Grey-headed Gull, Cape, Red-billed Teal, Southern Pochard, Three-banded, Ringed Plover, Little Stint, Long-crested, Black-shouldered Kite, Augur Buzzard, White-fronted Bee-eater, Lilac-breasted Roller, Dusky Turtle Dove, Rock Martin, Arrow-Marked Babbler, Little Rock Thrush, Wailing, Rattling Cisticola, Rüppells Long-tailed Starling, White-browed Robin Chat, Cliff Chat, African Grey Flycatcher, Yellow-breasted Apalis, Common, Grey-backed Fiscal, Tropical Boubou, Black Cuckoo-shrike, Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu etc.

In addition, the park is rich in big game that includes the giraffe, buffalo, waterbuck, eland, hippo, both Black and White Rhino, lion, leopard, Spotted Hyena.

Later in the afternoon leave for Lake Baringo Conservation Area, another of Kenya’s birding hotspots. If time allows we deviating to the Molo grassland in search of the Aberdare Cistiola and the Sharpes Longclaws (Kenyan endemics) also look for the Levaillant’s, Wing-snapping Cisticola.

Overnight at Lake Baringo Spa.

Day 4: Lake Baringo Conservation Area.

We have a whole day birding around Lake Baringo Conservation Area and if lucky we hope to see some the specialties such as the Hemprichs, Jacksons Hornbill, White-faced Scops Owl, Bristle-crowned Starling, Brown-tailed Rock Chat, Green-winged Pytilia, Red & Yellow Barbet, Bat Hawk, Two-banded Courser, Slender-tailed Nightjar while birding along the camp site and the hotel grounds could yield the Verreauxs Eagle-Owl, African Pigmy Kingfisher, Black-headed Plover

Overnight at Lake Baringo Spa.

Day 5: Lake Baringo – Kakamega Forest

Today we take an early morning boat ride along the lake before going back to the cliffs and the bushes around. On boat ride we hope to see the Goliath, Grey Heron, Great White Pelicans, Common Squacco Heron, Yellow-billed Stork, Knob-billed Duck among others later heading for Kakamega Forest.

Overnight at Rondo Retreat Centre.

Day 6: Kakamega Forest

Kakamega Forest, the only true rain forest remaining in Kenya, was once a continuation of the Guinea-Congolian rainforest, rich in species nowhere else to be seen in Kenya. Spending here we hope to see a good number of these forest species that could include the Yellow-spotted, Yellow-billed Barbet, Blue-headed Bee-eater, Green, Green-throated Sunbird, Grey-winged Robin, Equatorial Akalat, African Blue Flycatcher, African Shrike-Flycatcher, Snowy-headed Robin, Common, Jameson’s, Chestnut and with much luck the Yellow-bellied Wattle-eye, Shelleys, Joyful Greenbul, Turners Eremomela, Uganda Woodland Warbler, White-chinned, Banded Prinia, Black-faced Rufous Warbler, Black-billed, Vieillot’s Weaver, Red-headed Malimbe.

Overnight at Rondo Retreat Centre

Day 7: Kakamega Forest – Kisumu

After breakfast drive to Kisumu City just-by the second largest fresh-water lake in the world. We’ll try out the Rock Pratincole along the river nearby while birding the whole day on the villages, farmland and the Busia grasslands to the west arriving Kisumu in the late afternoon or evening. We hope to see the Bar-breasted Firefinch, Yellow-throated Leaflove, Senegal Coucal, White-crested Turaco, among others.

Overnight at Kisumu Hotel

Day 8: Kisumu- Masai Mara National Reserve.

Today we take an early morning boat ride along the Papyrus vegetation at the Dunga Beach (an old fishing village/jet) with expectation to see some of the specialties like the Papyrus Gonolek, Swamp Flycatcher, Greater Swamp Warbler, White-winged Warbler, other birds includes Hamerkop, Little Egret, Yellow-billed Stork, Pied Kingfisher, White-winged, Whiskered Tern, African Skimmer, Red-chested, Copper Sunbird, Shikra, African Thrush, Black-headed Gonolek, Slender-billed, Northern Brown-throated, Yellow-backed, Jackson’s Golden-backed Weaver, Fan-tailed Widowbird, Southern Red Bishop.

After this we leave for the world famous Masai Mara National Reserve, a plain of rolling grassland dotted with a mixture of acacia trees and the plain game which includes large herds of elephants, zebras, topis, hartebeests, gazelles, Impala’s not forgetting the well known Mara/ Serengeti Wildebeest’s migration, lions, cheetah. Well stay on the western part of the reserve along the Olololoo Escarpments blended by river, swampy, grassy and forested habitats. Specialties could include: the Long-tailed, Rock Cisticola, Wattled Plover, Rufous-bellied Heron, Penduline Tit, Pale Wren Warbler. Other birds could include Rosy-breasted Longclaw, African Wattled Plover, Ashy Flycatcher, Grey-rumped, Red-rumped, Rufous-chested Swallow, White-headed, Lappet-faced, White-headed Vulture, White-naped Raven, Ross Turaco, Black-backed Puffback, Croaking Cisticola, Fan-tailed Widowbird, Hildebrandt’s Starling, Yellow-billed Oxpecker, Black & White Casqued Hornbill, Narina Trogon, Lilac-breasted Roller, Common Wattle-eye, Silverbird, Plain and Long-billed Pipit, Saddle-billed, Woolly-necked Stork, Yellow-fronted Canary, Yellow-bellied Hyliota.

Overnight at Mara Serena Lodge/Mara West Camp/Mara Sarova Tented Camp

Day 9: Masai Mara National Reserve.

We take an early morning birdwalk along the escarpment in the conservancy in search specialties such as Red-tailed Chat, Long-tailed, Rock Cisticola while if lucky we get a bonus of the Mwanza Flat-headed Agama.

Overnight at Mara Serena Lodge/Mara West Camp/Mara Sarova Tented Camp

Day 10: Masai Mara – Nairobi

En route game drive in Masai Mara National Reserve on our way to Naivasha while searching for more bird species especially the Magpie Shrike and others on the eastern part of the reserve.

The tour ends with a dinner at the Carnivore Restaurant and later a transfer to the airport